Stranger than Kimmy
by Victory-Starr
Summary: Gary and Arianna make it to San Francisco. While they're there they meet an interesting family, Gary loses the Paper, and a dangerous stranger continues to show up. Sequel to Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
1. San Francisco

**A/N **Some things in this story may not make perfect sense, but it had to happen to make some things work. So please; bear with me here. Oh, and all reviews are much appreciated. Whether positive or negative, they will help determine the outcome of this story and others. Thanks!)

_**Previously on "Early Edition": **Excerpt from "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"_

"_Daddy, can I go? Can I go, please?" Arianna asked._

"_It's a letter from Arianna's school," Gary said slowly, while reading, "She, along with 9 other students has been selected to go on a six day field trip."_

"_Where to?" Marissa asked._

"_New York City." Gary answered, looking up from the paper._

_

* * *

"Oh, Arianna," Gary said, "You know, I would love to go with you and chaperone your trip, but I can't leave. I've got the Paper to deal with."_

"_You're letting that Paper run your life." Marissa told him, "Go to New York with your daughter and have a good time for once."_

_

* * *

"__Here, Arianna," Gary finally said, "You can go on the trip and I'll go with you if the Paper slows down enough."

* * *

__Gary picked up the Paper, looked at the front page, and gasped._" 

_Without saying a word, Gary turned the Paper around so that Arianna could see the front page. When she saw it, she gasped too Instead of saying "The Chicago-Sun Times" on the front, it said, "The New York Times"._

"_Arianna," Gary finally broke the silence, "We're going to New York City."  
__

* * *

_

"_Daddy!" Arianna screamed, "Look out!"_

_It was too late. In his haste to get away from the police officer as quickly as possible, Gary had through the faulty banister and onto the carpeted floor below of the museum._

"_It's all my fault/" Arianna blamed herself, "If I hadn't asked daddy to come with me, we wouldn't be in this mess."

* * *

_

"_Arianna," Dr. Clint Cassidy began to explain Gary's position the best he could to the girl, "By the time your father got here, he had been without air for several minutes. We have managed to get him stabilized though. He is in a deep coma. He has some badly bruised ribs, and one broken arm. But, those should be as good as new in a few weeks. I'm surprised really; it should have been a lot worse… he could've broken his neck."_

"_Wh-when will h-he wake up?" Arianna managed to ask._

_Clint sighed, and leaned forward across his desk. "I can't promise you he will wake up, Arianna," He admitted, "Some people wake up and do just fine. Other people, well… some of them never wake up."_

_**Days later…**_

_When Arianna saw her father; his eyes open, her eyes filled with tears. He was alive! He would be okay!_

_

* * *

__Clint wondered; would Gary Hobson magnetize trouble as well as his daughter?_

_**Days Later…**_

_Gary and Arianna were getting ready to head home and it felt wonderful.  
"Ready to go, Arianna?" Gary asked._

"_Bye, Clint." Arianna said.  
"Good bye, Clint," Gary said, picking up he and Arianna's bags, "And thanks again."  
"Good bye," Clint replied, watching them walk out the Westbury doors, "And have a safe trip home."_

_

* * *

_

"_Arianna," Gary said quietly, "We can't go home just yet." He showed her the article in the Paper and the girl's mouth dropped open in surprise. The article read; **Over 500 Missing after San Francisco Explosion – Thousands Feared Dead**._

"_Looks like we're not taking the next flight to Chicago, honey," Gary announced, "We're going to California."_

_Arianna sighed and leaned back in her seat. Here we go again.

* * *

_

_**And now, the continuing story…**_

"Wow!" Arianna said, barely above a whisper. Her nose was pressed against the window of the airplane.

Gary smiled silently, as he rolled up the Paper. They had caught the next flight to San Francisco and now were only a few minutes from landing.

"Oh, look, daddy!" Arianna gasped and pointed, "Isn't that the Golden Gate Bridge? Oh, it's so beautiful!"

Gary nodded, "Yeah." He had to agree with her. It _was_ beautiful. But, his mind was occupied with the Paper and the article that had caused him to go from the east coat to the west coast within 24 hours. He shook his head. How would he handle this one? He glanced at his watch. "3:32 PM." He muttered. That only gave him 2 hours to find and stop the explosion!

Just a little while later, Gary and Arianna were busy collecting their few bags and were trying to get a cab. Gary sat the Paper down for a moment to pick up a bag and what he found when he turned around almost didn't surprise him.

"Uh, Arianna," He said, staring at the newspaper.

"What is it, daddy?"

He turned the paper around and she gasped. The Paper was not the _New York Times_ anymore! It was now the _San Francisco Chronicle_! Arianna's mouth dropped open. This was absolutely amazing!

"H-how, wh-why, wh-what..?" The girl, much like her father, was at a loss for words.

"Yeah," Gary gave a nervous laugh, "I guess we're meant to be here, huh?"

Arianna swallowed hard and nodded. This was getting weird; really weird.

Once again regaining his composure, Gary actually read the first headline. And it was exactly what he was looking for; **Over 500 Missing after San Francisco Explosion – Thousands Feared Dead**. He wished though that it wasn't there. If he had to be saving somebody, he'd rather it be in Chicago. He knew his way around there.

A few minutes later, a cab showed up and the two climbed in. As the driver drove towards the hotel Gary had requested, Arianna watched her father turn the pages of the Paper, looking for anything that needed his attention. After a moment, he stopped, staring at an article that had caught his attention; **_Two Die in Accident at Local Supermarket_**

Arianna gasped at the article and the pictures of the victims; a pair of 1-year-old twin boys with blonde hair. The article said that the boys' names were Nicky and Alex Katsopolis. They had been in a shopping cart in front of a soda machine. The machine exploded killing both boys and injuring their mother and young cousin who was with them.

"Oh, daddy, that terrible!" Arianna gasped, staring sadly into the beautiful eyes of the little boys.

Gary nodded, then said to the cab driver; "Hey, pal, stop the cab!"

"Hey, listen, no problem!" The man defended himself and pulled over, "What's the problem, mister?" The man sounded a bit agitated.

"Listen; do you know where _Grover's Food Mart_ is?" Gary asked, reading off the Paper.

"Sure do. Why? Ya hungry?" The man asked, smirking.

"Hun– no! I'm not hungry!" Gary exclaimed, "What business is it of yours anyhow? Just go to _Grover's_, alright?"

"Fine, fine," The man said, pulling back onto the road, "But this is gonna cost you extra."

"Alright. Fine, whatever. Just hurry up, would ya?" Gary replied.

The man didn't say anything. He just kept driving. Gary leaned over to Arianna and whispered in her ear; "I don't want you talking to this guy, alright? Not unless you have to."

"Why?" Came the reply.

"Just do it," Gary didn't explain, "I'll tell you later."

Arianna could tell that something was bothering her father and she remained quiet for the remainder of the ride. As she watched the cabby drive, she numbly noticed how the afternoon sun reflected off of his gold earring. She also noticed that the man was muttering under his breath some words that Arianna knew if she repeated, her father would be at least shocked.

About 15 minutes later, the cabby pulled into the parking lot of _Grover's Food Mart_. Gary paid the cab fee and unloaded their bags, all the while searching with his eyes the front of the store for twin boys.

Finally, he spotted them. They were sitting in a shopping cart, being pushed towards the soda machine. Quickly, Gary dropped the two duffel bags he was carrying and took off towards the front of the store.

"Hey, stop!" He called out.

Arianna grabbed the two bags her father had dropped and did her best to run and carry them at the same time. She managed, but it was a slow process.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Gary called again. This time the woman pushing the metal cart, stopped. She looked a bit cautious.

Gary finally reached them, panting for breath, with Arianna not far behind.

"You need to get away from this soda machine, ma'am," Gary told the woman, "It, it's not safe. its g-gonna explode!"

"How do you know?" The woman asked, suspiciously eyeing our hero.

"Please, j-just trust me. Please." Gary begged. Whether it was the desperation in the man's voice or the sincerity in his mud-green eyes, the woman pulled the shopping cart back; and not a moment too soon. Just after that, there was a loud _POP!_ and then a deafening noise. Gary pulled his daughter close to him, in an effort to protect her from any flying debris. After a moment, he released his hold on her, and the girl looked around in awe.

The ground was covered in pieces of metal and exploded soda was everywhere. She looked up at her father and saw that he was covered with sticky soft drink. She also was a bit wet, but not much. Gary had been covering most of her. She looked over at the woman, twins, and the young girl that was with them. They were also covered with soda, but they were all alive and unhurt. That was all that really mattered.

"A-are you alright?" Gary asked them.

"Yes, yes," The woman replied, a bit shaken, "We're fine. Thank you so much. If you hadn't come along, we, we…" She didn't want to think about what could have happened.

It was then, that Arianna noticed the babies were crying. She didn't know much about babies, but she imagined it was because of the loud noise and the fact that they were suddenly soaked in sticky, ice-cold soda.

"Gee, thanks, mister," The young girl spoke up for the first time, "If you hadn't been here, then…" She left her sentence dangling as she looked at the mess around.

Gary gave a slight smile, "Y-your daughter?" He asked the woman, nodding his head towards the girl.

"Oh, no," The woman shook her head, "This is my niece, Stephanie Tanner. These are my boys, Nicky and Alex. And, uh, by the way, I'm Becky Katsopolis."

"Gary Hobson," Gary introduced himself, shaking Becky's hand, "And this is my daughter, Arianna."

Arianna looked Stephanie up and down. The girl appeared to be about her age and she had long blonde hair. Absent-mindedly, Arianna fingered her own hair, which was hanging just beneath the shoulder. Stephanie smiled kindly at Arianna.

"Listen, how can we ever repay you?" Becky was asking Gary.

"Oh, it w-was nothing, Mrs. Katsopolis," Gary tried, "We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, is all."

"Please; call me 'Becky'," Becky insisted, "And there has to be something we can do for you. You savd our lives! I know; why don't you come over for dinner tonight. Bring your whole family. I want mine to meet you. It's the least I can do."

"Well, I d-don't know," Gary shrugged, and glanced down at his daughter standing beside him. Arianna smiled and nodded, "Alright," He relented, "We'll come over. What time do you want us?"

"How about 7 o'clock. We're having a later dinner tonight." She explained eagerly. Then she quickly told him where they lived.

Gary smiled. If everything went alright, he should have stopped the explosion by then. "We'll be there." He said.

**

* * *

**

Gary glanced at his watch… again. He was at the San Francisco Power Plant. He had a whole hour until the explosion at the power plant was supposed to happen, but he wasn't sure _how_ it was supposed to happen. He had left Arianna back at the hotel with orders not to open the door to anyone and do not leave the hotel room until he returned. He had seen the worry and fright in her eyes as she promised to obey and it had broken his heart. She had been through so much already back in New York and she knew where he was going could be dangerous. He just hoped he could stop the explosion and get back to his daughter as soon as possible.

He spotted a man in an office and hurried towards him, stuffing the Paper into his back pocket as he went along.

"Excuse me," Gary said, sticking his head inside the small building that made up an office, "Excuse me, sir. Can I talk to you? Please? It, it's very important."

The man looked a bit agitated to be pulled away from the basketball game he was watching on the small television, but he switched the TV off anyway and stood up. "Come on in," He sighed. He pulled out a chair, "Take a seat."

Gary thanked the man and sat down across from him at the desk. "What can I do for you?" The man asked. He sounded like he was in a bit better humor.

"Well, it has just come to my attention that, well, um, I think you should check the electric pressure on that big pole out there." Gary pointed to a huge white and blue striped pole outside.

"What? Why?" The man was starting to sound agitated again.

"Because if you don't this whole place is gonna explode!" Gary exclaimed, waving his hands around to indicate the power plant, "Your workers are gonna be hurt, lots of them dead!"

"Who are you?" The man's dark eyes narrowed. Who was this fool; trying to tell him how to do his job?

"I, I'm Gary Hobson. Now, list– What're ya doing?" Gary exclaimed. The man had picked up the radio on his desk and had called for security.

The man didn't answer and Gary glanced down at the Paper which he now held in his lap. The article was still there, unchanged. He suddenly had a sinking feeling in his heart. If he didn't do something quick, he was going to fail; fail the Paper, fail San Francisco, and most of all, fail his daughter. No! He couldn't let that happen! He would stop the explosion and he would get back to the hotel in one piece; no matter what it took! Nothing could stop him.

**

* * *

**

**A/N** Well, that's it for now. So what do you think? Hopefully, it won't be long before the next chapter. So in the mean time (and in between time), comments, questions, and suggestions are all welcome...


	2. The Family

**Poe1911: **Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like Arianna. I've put her into other stories here, but no one's ever told me what they think of her. So I appreciate you letting me know!  
**Kayla Tsukino: **You are quite right about making sure people know where the "_Full House_" characters are at. And in the chapters to come, I will do my best to do so. Thanks for the advice! It's always welcome!  
**snipsa:** I agree that _is_ weird with the TV shows! Wow… I am glad that you like the Gary/Arianna interaction. As I already said, no one has ever told me what they think of Arianna. Thanks!

* * *

**2. The Family**

Arianna paced back and forth across the hotel room. Her father had left a half hour ago. She knew she shouldn't be too worried. It was about another 45 minutes until the explosion was to happen and her father needed time. But, she really couldn't help it. The whole explosion thing was really dangerous.

She sat down on one of the full-sized beds and put her head in her hands. Her mind wandered back to when Gary had first told her about the Paper. It had been on her 9th birthday; only a little over two years ago. She had been made to promise that she would _never_ tell anybody about the Paper; ever. Unless, of course, Gary told her to, that is.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Her first thought was that it was her father. But to be sure, she peeked through the little eye-hole. It wasn't Gary. It was another man; a stranger. He looked familiar though, but Arianna just couldn't put her finger on who he was exactly. One thing really stood out to her though; the earring in his ear. She just _knew_ she had seen this guy somewhere before!

Remembering what her father had told her, Arianna didn't say anything as the man knocked again. Instead, she went into the bathroom and locked the door. Sitting down on the side of the bathtub, she rested her chin in one of her hands and listened as the man knocked again; this time louder. "Hello?" he called, "Is anybody home?"

Arianna waited a few more minutes and when she didn't hear anything after a few minutes she unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out. Looking through the peek hole, she saw that the man had left. Arianna breathed a sigh of relief, but his face still haunted her. She _knew_ that she had seen him before… but where? She continued to ponder the question as she waited with worry for her father to return.

* * *

"Listen," Gary said, struggling to get away from the two security guards with handcuffs, "You're making a big mistake here; a big mistake. I, I'm not– ow!" one of the security guards had snapped the handcuffs onto Gary's wrists, behind his back. Then he pushed him down into a chair.

"Sit here," One of the guards instructed, "Now," He looked at the man in charge, "What's going on here?"

"Well," The man started. Gary later learned his name was 'Phillips', "This guy comes in here and tells me that if I don't check the pressure valve on the main post than we're gonna have an explosion! He expects me to believe him! Anyone who's smart enough knows you don't kid around about that kinda thing!"

"Well, did you?" The first guard asked.

"Did I what?" Phillips wanted to know, obviously confused.

"Did you go check it?" He asked again.

"Eh, no."

The second guard looked annoyed, "Go check the valve, Mr. Phillips."

Phillips obeyed and went to go check the valve, with one of the security men close behind. They came back a moment later, Phillips looking pale.

"Well?" Gary asked. He would have looked at the Paper, but he was sitting on it.

"You were right," Phillips admitted, meekly, "You were right. If I hadn't turned that down, then…"

"Good. Now, can I go?" Gary asked, hopefully, "I've got a daughter I want to get back to. She's waiting on me."

After asking him a few more questions, they let Gary go, with an apology from Mr. Phillips, as well.

* * *

When Gary walked into the hotel room half an hour later, Arianna ran into his arms and gave him a big hug, "Daddy!" She exclaimed, her face buried in his leather jacket, "You're alright! Did you stop it?" She looked up at him, expectantly.

"Yeah, I stopped it," Gary replied, with a faint smile on his tired face, "I just had some technical difficulties, is all. Were you alright?"

Arianna bit her lip.

"What happened?" Gary asked, the smile now fading.

"A man knocked on the door, daddy," Arianna told him, "But, I remembered what you said; I didn't open it. He looked familiar though, daddy, like I've seen him before."

"What'd he look like?" Gary asked, taking his jacket off and laying it on the bed.

"Well, he had kinda wavy, black hair – but it was graying. His eyes were brown; I think. He was real muscular-like and oh, yeah. His right ear was pierced. He was real rough-looking." Arianna did her best to describe the man.

Gary winced. He knew exactly who it was. Arianna could tell by watching her father's expressions that something was wrong.

"What's the matter, daddy?" She asked, her eyes showing worry and concern.

Gary sank down onto one of the beds and pulled Arianna onto his knee. Though the girl wanted desperately to know what was going on, she remained silent. For she knew that in his own time, Gary would tell her what she needed to know.

"The man you just described to me, Arianna," He finally said, "Was the same man driving the cab earlier today."

Arianna's eyes widened. "Really?"

Gary nodded, "I don't know how he knew we were here or why he even showed up for that matter, but I don't like it."

"Daddy, is he dangerous?" Arianna asked, suspiciously.

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I think he might be." Gary admitted.

Arianna rested her head on Gary's shoulder and sighed. Wouldn't they _ever_ get a break?

* * *

Later that day, around 7 o'clock, a taxi dropped Gary and Arianna off in front of 1882 Gerad Street. Arianna looked around at the dimming light. So this was it; this was the home of Becky Katsopolis.

"Come on, Arianna," Gary said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Let's go."

Obediently, the girl followed him up to the front door. Once there, he found the doorbell and pushed the button. A moment later the door opened. A tall, thin man with brown hair and a smile on his face stood in the doorway.

"You must be the Hobsons," He said, and then stepped back, "Come on in. We've been expecting you."

Gary smiled and stepped inside, with Arianna right beside him. Arianna gazed around at the house.

"I'm Danny Tanner," The man introduced himself.

"Gary Hobson," Gary shook Danny's hand, "And this is my daughter, Arianna. Thanks for having us."

"Nice to meet you," Danny replied, then called up the stairs, "Stephanie!"

Just a moment later, the blonde girl from earlier that day came bounding down the stairs. "Yeah, dad?" Then she saw Arianna standing there, "Oh hi! I'm glad you're here, Arianna! You want to see my room?" Without waiting for a reply, Stephanie took Arianna by the wrist and began to drag her upstairs.

"Stephanie," Danny called up, "Slow down!" Chuckling, he just shook his head. Gary, too, had a smile on his face.

"Those two will get along great." Gary laughed.

"Yeah, I hope so," Danny said, equally amused, "Come on. Everyone's in the kitchen."

Gary followed Danny into the kitchen and found a bunch of people waiting for him. "Gary," Danny said, pointing to a man with wavy black hair, "This is my brother-in-law; Jesse Katsopolis. You've already met his wife; Becky, and their two little boys; Nicky and Alex."

"How do you do?" Gary shook Jesse and Becky's hands, "Thanks for having us."

"We're happy to have you." Becky smiled.

"And this;" Danny motioned toward a grinning man with blonde hair, "This is my good friend Joey Gladstone. I have two other daughters, but they must be upstairs right now."

"Gary Hobson." Gary shook Joey's hand. Did all these people live in this _one_ house?

* * *

"Alright," Stephanie pulled Arianna into her bedroom, "This is my room."

"Wow," Arianna looked around, "This is really cool!"

"Thanks."

Just then, a little girl of about 5 or 6-years-old, stood up from a small table. Her blonde hair was pulled into 2 pigtails over each ear and her eyes were blue.

"Hello," She said, "My name is Michelle. Who are you?"

"I'm Arianna." Arianna replied, smiling at the girl.

"This is my little sister Michelle," Stephanie spoke up, "We share this bedroom." She added, rolling her blue eyes.

"I'm 6," Michelle spoke again, "How old are you?"

"11."

"You're eleven?" Stephanie asked.

Arianna nodded.

"Oh, that is so cool! So am I!" Stephanie exclaimed.

Arianna smiled. This was great!

Just then, an older blonde girl walked into the room.

"Hey, Deej," Stephanie greeted the girl, and then turned to Arianna, "Arianna, this is my sister D.J. She's 16. D.J., this is Arianna Hobson; the girl I was telling you about."

"It's nice to meet you, Arianna," D.J. smiled, "Do you live around here?"

"No," Arianna shook her head, "I'm from Chicago. We're just visiting."

D.J. nodded. Just then, Danny stuck his head in the room, "Hey, girls; time to eat."

* * *

A little while later, Arianna looked around the table. _"Wow_," she thought, "_Nine people in one house_?" Well, then again, her good friend Jessa Wissmann had 8 members in her family.

"So, tell us, Gary," Jesse said, holding his fork full of rice in mid-air, "Where is your wife at? Did she stay home?"

Arianna instantly looked down at her dinner plate. "Uh, I, I'm not married, actually," Gary replied, hesitantly, "Well, I, I man I was, but, um, my wife, sh-she passed away… when Arianna was born."

"I'm sorry," Becky said, sympathetically.

"Its, its alright," Gary said, "You didn't know. It's a-alright."

Arianna glanced over at her father. He smiled at her and she gave a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure just how that situation was going to play out.

Just then, the back door behind the table opened and in walked a teenage girl around D.J.'s age. She had brown hair and it was only a little longer than Arianna's.

"_¡Hola_ Tanneritos!" The girl greeted. She then grabbed a plate off the shelf and began to serve herself.

"Kimmy," Danny asked, in wonder, "Don't your parents feed you?"

"Sure they do, Mr. T.," She replied, helping herself to a large piece of fried chicken, "Except tonight they said that if I wanted to eat then I'd better come here."

Danny sighed and Gary tried to hide a smile. Arianna just looked stunned.

"Gary, Arianna," Danny said, "This is our next door neighbor, Kimmy Gibbler. Kimmy, this is Gary and Arianna Hobson."

"Hi there," She said, sitting down, "I've never seen you before. Do you live around here?"

"Actually, no," Gary replied, "We're from Chicago."

"Oooh, _Wendy's City_." She smiled, then got a confused look on her face, "Who's Wendy?"

Gary opened his mouth as if he were about to answer her, then shut it and just shook his head.

"Kimmy," Stephanie took a deep breath, and then, she too, just shook her head, "Never mind."

Joey tried to change the subject, "So, how long are you planning on staying in San Francisco, Gary?"

"We're not sure exactly," Gary replied, glancing over at his daughter, "We're just not sure, yet."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Becky asked, spooning some food into one of the twins' mouths.

"We've got a room at the Brooklyn." Gary answered her, "We'll probably just stay there for a while."

"Well, why don't you stay here?" Danny suggested, "We would love to have you."

Arianna's mouth dropped open and she quickly shut it. Was this guy really serious? Didn't he have a full house already without adding two more people to it?

"A-are you sure?" Gary asked. He looked as shocked as Arianna, but he had managed to keep control of his bottom jaw.

"Yeah, Danny," Joey said, "Are you sure?"

"Well, of course I'm sure." Danny said, chuckling.

Finally, Gary accepted and Arianna was glad. That would give her a chance to get to know Stephanie better. And after about another hour, the Hobsons left.

After they showed them out the front door, Jesse just stared at Danny.

"What?" Danny asked.

"You invited them to _stay_?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah; why not?" Danny replied, "You know what they say; 'the more, the merrier'."

"Yeah, well," Jesse replied, "You know what they also say; 'three's a crowd' and in this case it's now 11!" He added.

"Oh, come on, Jess," Danny said, "I mean, did you see the look on Steph's face? She's absolutely thrilled!"

"Yeah, that's her," Jesse replied, "Like we need another little munchkin running around here. Don't we already have enough?"

"Hey," Joey joined in, "Look at it this way; if you count Kimmy, then with Arianna coming then we can have the 7 dwarfs!"

Jesse just gave him a disgusted look.

"Come on, Jesse," Danny said, "It'll be fine. You'll see."

Jesse sighed. Maybe Danny was right. Maybe.

* * *

_Well, that's chapter two. So, what'd you think? _


	3. A Very Interesting Stay

**Kayla Tsukino: **Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it! And yes; I _am_ currently working on a story (_prequel to this_) about Arianna's mother, etc. I'm not sure though when the actual story will come out, but hopefully it will be soon! Thanks again!  
**Poe1911: **Thanks for the review! They're very encouraging! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.  
**snipsa:** Thanks so much for the review! You made my day! I'm glad you're liking this story. That's always nice to hear!

**_You're all Wonderful!_**

* * *

As Arianna lay in bed that night, she couldn't sleep. She was too excited. She had hoped that she would see more of Stephanie and now she would. Oh, she couldn't believe it!

Gary, also awake, was having different thoughts. He wondered if he had done the right thing; accepting the Tanner's invitation to stay at their house. After all, their house was full already. He also thought of some other things; like the cabby from earlier that day. He knew that the man was suspicious and that he also knew where they were staying. Gary wasn't comfortable with that. And also, he didn't know how long the Paper wanted him in San Francisco, but as long as they were there, Arianna was missing school. If they stayed with the Tanners, then he could send her to school with Stephanie. Yes, maybe he had made the right decision.

* * *

The next morning, Gary was up bright and early around 6 o'clock. Standing up, he glanced over at the next bed and smiled. Arianna was sound asleep, but she lay sideways on the bed with her head hanging off the side. The blanket was twisted around her legs and half of it was lying on the floor.

Gently, Gary picked her up and moved her back into a normal position, with her head on a pillow at the headboard. He laid the blanket across her and smiled… but a bit sadly this time. She looked so young and innocent as she slept. Gary hated the fact that his daughter was growing up having to live with the Paper. One of the things he wanted most of all was for his daughter to live a normal life; or at least experience one for that matter. Silently, he shook his head. If only _every_ wish could come true. With those thoughts in mind, he went to go take a shower before the Paper arrived.

* * *

It was later that day around 2:00 PM. Gary and Arianna were waiting on a taxi. They had already called for one, so decided that they probably wouldn't have a long wait. Arianna was still very excited about staying with the Tanners. She really liked Stephanie. Suddenly, she had a thought.

"Daddy," She said, "How are you going to keep all of those people from finding out about the Paper?"

Gary sighed, "I've been thinking about that Arianna and I've decided that if I just keep it with me at all times then we should be okay. You just be sure not to say anything to anyone about it, alright?"

Arianna nodded. She wouldn't say a thing. Just then, the cab pulled up. Quickly, Gary began to put their bags inside. "1882 Gerad Stre– Wait a minute." Suddenly he stopped. Then, he quickly began taking their bags out. "I'm sorry, pal, but I've suddenly realized that I can't be leaving right now. I, I have t-to take care of something. Thanks, anyway."

The cabby grumbled a reply that Gary hoped Arianna hadn't been able to make out, and then the man drove away. Knowing that his daughter was waiting for an explanation, Gary turned to her.

"That was the cab driver from yesterday, Ari," Gary said softly, "I didn't want to go with him. Come on, let's find another cab."

* * *

About an hour later, Gary and Arianna were standing outside the Tanner's door. It had taken them a while to get another cab. Gary knocked and just a moment later, Joey opened the door.

"Hey, guys," He greeted the two, taking Arianna's bag out of her hand, "Come on in! You know, we could hardly get Stephanie to go to bed last night; she's so excited."

Gary smiled, "Yeah? Well, that makes two of them then."

"Come on," Joey said, heading towards the stairs, "Let me show you your rooms."

He led them up the stairs and the first room he entered was a room right across the hall from Stephanie and Michelle's. "Gary," Joey said, "You can stay here."

"Thanks, Joey." Gary thanked the man.

"No problem," Joey replied, grinning. Then he began to head for the girls' room, "And Arianna, you can stay here in Michelle and Steph's room." He sat her bag on Michelle's bed, "This will be your bed."

"Thanks, Joey," Arianna said, hesitantly, "But, isn't this Michelle's bed?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Arianna," Joey said, "Michelle's going to sleep in Danny's room. She'll be fine."

Arianna nodded, then popped another question; "Where are the girls at?"

"Oh, they're at a neighbor's house, but they should be home soon. While you wait, why don't you get settled in?" Joey suggested.

"Alright; I will," Arianna smiled, "Thanks."

* * *

Just as Joey promised, about an hour later, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle showed up. When Stephanie saw Arianna sitting on the couch, she grinned, "Oh, good!" She exclaimed gleefully, "You're here! I didn't think you'd be here this early!"

"Steph," D.J. put her hand on her younger sister's shoulder, "It's 4:30 in the afternoon. Why wouldn't they be here?"

Ignoring D.J.'s comment, Stephanie took Arianna by the hand and pulled her off of the couch. "Come on," She said, "Let's go upstairs. I've got some really cool things I want to show you."

Arianna laughed and followed her newly-found friend up the stairs. Michelle watched the two girls leave, and then turned to D.J. "D.J.," She asked, "Is Arianna going to act like Stephanie?"

"I don't know, Michelle," D.J. shrugged, "She might. They're the same age, so she probably will."

Michelle rolled her eyes, "I'm outa here!" She began to head for the kitchen.

"Michelle," D.J. called, "Where are you going?"

"To find Uncle Jesse," Michelle replied, stopping at the kitchen door, "I don't want to be around when those two come back!"

* * *

Gary flipped through the pages of the Paper. He had checked it once already, but he wanted to make sure there was nothing that needed his attention. No, he finally decided, there was not. He had completed the saves for the day.

Gary glanced over at the clock hanging on "his" bedroom wall; 5:15 PM. They had been at the Tanner's for about two hours now. He sighed. He didn't want to impose on them, but then again, they seemed really eager for them to stay with them. And he knew Arianna was really enjoying it. She had never had any brothers or sisters, so this was all new to her; and also a treat.

Giving those thoughts a rest for the time being, Gary stuck the Paper in his back pocket, left the room, and headed downstairs.

* * *

"Wow, those are really cool sneakers."

"Thanks," Stephanie replied, grinning, "You can borrow them sometime."

Arianna and Stephanie were up in the girls' room, admiring each other's things and basically getting to know one another better. And the more Arianna got to know Stephanie Tanner, the more she liked her. Little did she know; Stephanie felt the same way about Arianna. The two girls had only known each other for about a day, but already they were inseparable.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, everybody was sitting in the living room, talking. Since there wasn't enough room on the couches and the chairs for everyone, some of the kids sat on the floor; that included D.J., Stephanie, Arianna, and Kimmy Gibbler and Michelle sat on Joey's lap. Kimmy had joined them after dinner. Like usual, she hadn't bothered to knock; she just invited herself in with her usual, cheerful greeting; "Hi, Tanners!" The twins were already upstairs, asleep.

As Gary listened to everyone talk, he thought about how lucky Danny Tanner was; to have such a loving, big family. That's what Gary had always wanted, but it didn't appear that that was what was meant for him in life. Besides, he was happy with the way things were right now. He glanced down at his daughter, sitting at his feet, and smiled. Yes, he was happy. He couldn't really ask for much more; well, except for a life away from the Paper, or at least a break. But, oh well. He had dealt with it for the past 15 years; he could deal with it for a little longer, he supposed. Suddenly, Gary was aware of somebody speaking to him. He turned his attention away from his thoughts and to Jesse, who was asking him a question.

"I'm sorry," Gary apologized, "What'd you say?"

"Do you have any interests in music?" Jesse asked again, "Do you play anything, Gary?"

"Uh, no, actually, I, I don't," Gary replied, suddenly a bit self-conscious, "I, I don't."

Jesse nodded.

"I play an instrument." Kimmy spoke up.

Jesse turned and stared at the teenage girl. He didn't say a word; just stared. Then finally he spoke; "No!"

Kimmy nodded. "Yeah, my brother's trying to teach me how to play the trombone. He says I'm very abysmal." She smiled happily at the thought.

Stephanie gave Kimmy a sarcastic smile, "I'm sure you are, Kimmy."

Gary watched this scene and tried to understand Kimmy Gibbler. She was strange; that was for sure. He got the feeling that she didn't exactly know what the word _abysmal_ meant. If she did, she wouldn't look so proud of being called that. He assumed that she thought it was a good thing.

A little while later, it was time for the girls to go upstairs and for Kimmy to go home. Gary was planning on going upstairs also, but he wanted to ask Danny something first.

"Hey, listen, Danny," Gary asked the man, "Do you think it would be alright if I sent Arianna to school with Stephanie tomorrow? Y-You see, we're in this position wh-where we can't exactly go home right now a-and she's been missing quite a bit o-of school."

"Well," Danny replied, "I don't think it would hurt."

Gary smiled, "Thanks."

"Your welcome." Danny replied, happily.

"No… I mean for everything." Gary concluded.

After talking a bit more, Gary went upstairs. He had to tell Arianna the news.

* * *

Once upstairs, Gary rapped on the girls' closed bedroom door. "Who is it?" Came the sing-song reply. Gary recognized the voice as Stephanie's.

"Uh, i-its Gary." He called, "Could you, uh, tell Arianna to come to my room?"

He didn't get a reply, but he figured he was heard. Shaking his head, he walked back to his room. This was going to be an interesting stay.

About five minutes later, Arianna came into the bedroom. She was dressed for bed, wearing her father's _Cubs_ T-shirt, which was much too big for her, and a pair of nylon shorts.

"Did you want to see me, daddy?" She asked, stepping into the room.

"Yeah," He replied, "For one thing; I wanted to make sure I got a chance to say 'good night' to you and another thing…" He pulled the girl onto his knee, "I wanted to tell you that you are going to school tomorrow."

Arianna's eyes widened, "What? Why?"

"Because you're missing too much school already," Gary explained patiently, "I don't know yet when we're going back home, but when we do, you're going to be far behind the rest of the class… if your not studying, that is."

"But, I've never been to any other school," Arianna began to protest, "A-And I don't know anybody here. W-What if I–"

"Arianna," Gary hushed the girl, "You're going to school tomorrow and that's that. I've already made up my mind. So, you be ready to go with Stephanie tomorrow."

"But, daddy…"

"No, 'buts'," Gary reprimanded her, "And I don't want to hear another word about it, alright? Not another word, you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Arianna replied, standing up, "Good night, daddy." She gave her father a hug.

"Good night, Ari," He replied, returning the hug, "I love you. Now, you'd better go get some sleep. And I don't want to hear that you and Stephanie were up all night talking!"

Arianna grinned, "We won't, daddy. I promise." And with that, she left the room.

Gary sighed and sat back down on the bed. He hoped the Paper would go easy on him tomorrow. Fat chance.

* * *

As Arianna and Stephanie lay in their beds that night, they talked. Stephanie had been thrilled with the idea of Arianna going to school with her; that made Arianna feel a little bit better about going.

The girls hadn't said anything to each other in the past few minutes and Arianna was beginning to wonder if the other girl was asleep.

"Stephanie," Arianna asked a question that had been on her mind for some time, "Where's your mother?"

There was no reply and Arianna began to think that the girl was asleep. Then there was a reply;

"I don't have a mother," Came the soft reply, "She died when I was really little."

"I'm sorry." Arianna didn't know what else to say. She just said the same thing everyone always said to her.

"It's alright," Stephanie replied with a sigh, "It happened a long time ago. I was only about four at the time. Sometimes I can hardly remember her and other times; other times it's as if she never left. It's kinda strange."

Arianna nodded, though her face couldn't be seen in the dark. "I don't remember my mother at all," She said quietly, "She died when I was only two days old, and so I never really knew her."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Stephanie spoke, "Michelle doesn't remember mom at all. She was only, like, six-months old when she died. Does, does, your dad talk much about her?"

"He didn't used to," Arianna replied, remembering the many years of her father's, almost cold, silence over that topic, "Until about around a year and a half ago. It was around my tenth birthday when, I guess, I really started to wonder about her, you know?"

"Mmm-Hmm," Stephanie just replied while continuing to listen.

"Whenever anybody ever talked about her, daddy's face would always get this sad look and he would get real quiet," Arianna explained, "I could tell he didn't like to talk about her. It still made him too sad. But, to sum up the story; after a while, daddy was able to tell me about my mother. And he was able to, to accept her, her death, I guess," Arianna added, "Or at least a little better. He doesn't act so sad anymore."

The girls were silent after that for a moment. They were both thinking about the woman who had only so briefly been in their lives; the woman they wished they had gotten the chance to know a little better.

Finally, Stephanie broke the moment, "Well, I guess we should get some sleep. We do have school tomorrow, you know."

Arianna agreed and within minutes, both girls were fast asleep.

* * *

The next morning when Gary woke up, he immediately looked at the clock. It was 6:45 AM! Where was the Paper? As quickly as he could, Gary threw on some jeans and a red plaid shirt. As he hopped down the hall and down the stairs, he pulled on his pair of blue and white _Nikes_. When he reached the front door he slung it open to realize that the Paper wasn't there. There was no Paper, there was no cat. Where on earth could it be?

Silently, Gary shut the door and went to sit down on the couch. _Now_ what would he do? It wasn't as if he could order another subscription.

About fifteen minutes later, Stephanie and Arianna walked down the stairs. They were both all ready for school and were carrying their backpacks.

"Good morning, daddy," Arianna greeted her father cheerfully.

"Morning, Arianna, morning, Steph," Gary replied. He was still busy thinking and worrying about the Paper.

"Good morning, Mr. Hobson." Stephanie replied, heading towards the kitchen, "Come on, Arianna. Let's go see if dad's in the kitchen."

"I'll be there in a minute," Arianna told the girl, "You go ahead. I'll catch up."

Stephanie nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. When she was gone, Arianna sat down on the couch beside her father. "Daddy, what's the matter?" She asked him.

"Arianna, the Paper didn't come today." Gary informed her quietly, without even looking up.

Arianna's eyes widened. "It didn't? Well, then what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Gary said, standing up, "Maybe it'll come later."

"Yeah, maybe." She sighed, standing up also. Then she added softly, "I hope so."

* * *

**A/N **_Well, that's it for Chapter 3. So, what'd ya think? Suggestions, comments, anything else? Just let me know!_


	4. Our Very First Day

**snipsa: **Thank you _so_ much for reviewing (this and "_It's All New_"). And I'm glad you like Kimmy. It's always nice when people single out a certain line they liked. It's nice to know a line or piece of dialog you worked so hard to come up with didn't go un-noticed. Thanks! Oh, I _also_ want to say thanks for giving me that idea about a sequel to "_It's All New_". I never thought about that! It's a wonderful idea and I'm very eager to finish this one so that I can set to work on that sequel! Hopefully within the up-coming weeks, we'll see it here… _Must… continue to… type… So many ideas… so little… time_ Oh, and by the way, you were right. The episode I was speaking of was about the clairvoyant girl, Nikki, in #81; "_Gifted_".  
**poe1911: **I'm glad you liked chapter 3. Things might be coming along a bit more slowly now though, because I'm still trying to work out "a few bugs". And thanks also for reviewing "_It's All New_". I know that just because a story doesn't get a review doesn't mean readers don't like it, but I think I had felt a bit insecure about that one, so I wasn't sure what to think. Thanks so much!)

**A/N** _Okay, I've talked long enough; on with the story!_

* * *

**4. Our Very First Day**

Later that morning, Stephanie was showing Arianna around the school. As Arianna pretended to be interested, she noticed all the looks she was getting and she thought she knew what everyone was thinking; _A newcomer; in the middle of a school year?_ Arianna agreed with the silent thoughts. As she followed Stephanie out of the gym, she sighed. Why her?

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Tanner home, Gary was searching everywhere possible for the Paper. It just had to be there somewhere! Gary had asked Joey after breakfast if he had seen an orange cat. Joey had said in reply; "You mean like Garfield? Yeah, I saw an orange cat. Danny shooed him off the front porch earlier this morning."

"Was there a paper?" Gary had asked.

"You mean a newspaper? No, I didn't see a paper." Joey had shrugged.

Finally, after hours of desperate searching, Gary recovered the tattered Paper from the kitchen garbage can. Relieved, it didn't matter much to the man that there was smashed banana on one of the pages or that someone beside himself had had to put it there; as a matter of fact, that didn't even come to mind.

It didn't take Gary long to read the headline **Hit-and-Run Kills 1** before he slipped into his leather jacket and took off down the street. If he didn't get to Shackmoore Road fast, then there would be one less San Francisco citizen.

* * *

"Hey, Tanner," A boy called out during lunch, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Arianna Hobson," Stephanie introduced the two, "She and her dad are staying with us for a while. They're from Chicago. Arianna, this is Eric Kienstar." Then she whispered in the girl's ear, "He's one of the most hottest and popular boys in school." Arianna wrinkled her nose at the thought. She wasn't much into boys, yet. Most of the ones she had met were gross and mean. But, she smiled warmly at the boy anyway.

Eric then sat down across from them at the table and began to unwrap his turkey sandwich. "So how old are you, Arianna?" He asked the girl politely.

"Eleven." Arianna replied, shyly. It made her feel self-conscious to have the supposedly most popular boy at school wanting to talk to _her_.

He nodded, "I'm twelve. Which one of you is older?" He nodded his head towards the two girls.

"She is;" Stephanie flashed the boy a smile, "By six months. I turned eleven last month."

Eric nodded. "So how long are you going to be around?" He asked Arianna, curiously.

The girl shrugged, "I don't know, yet. But, as long as I'm here, I have to go to school here."

"Great!" Eric exclaimed, smiling, "I hope that means I'll see you tomorrow."

Arianna nodded, "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Good," He said, standing up with his lunch tray, "Then I'll see you tomorrow then."

She smiled slightly and nodded, "Tomorrow."

Eric then flashed her one more smile and went in search of his friends. Arianna watched him go in a bit of awe. That, she could have sworn, was the first boy she had ever met who wasn't gross or rude or anything else like that to her. Well, unless you count Gary, and in this case, she wasn't including her father.

Arianna turned her attention away from Eric and looked at Stephanie, "So, what's our next class?"

Abruptly and without saying a word, Stephanie stood up and began to storm out of the cafeteria.

"Stephanie? Steph," Arianna called after her. When the girl left the room, Arianna's shoulders slumped and she said quietly, "What'd I say?"

* * *

As his daughter was experiencing some of life's early lessons, Gary was racing against the clock, trying to find Shackmoore Road. He only had ten to fifteen minutes left. Finally he spotted a man who was just about to cross the street. He was doing it perfectly safe – or he would be, that is – if weren't for the drunk driver who would run the red light.

As he ran to stop the man, Gary was stunned to see that the man was none other than _Danny Tanner_! Danny was just as stunned and because of that, he stopped stepping off the sidewalk just as a red sports car whizzed past. Sub-consciously, it reminded Gary of the car Chuck had a few years back.

"Danny, what are you doing here?" Gary exclaimed, while seeing that the article was gone.

"You know, I was just about to ask you the same thing," Danny replied, "If you hadn't come along when you did, that red car would've killed me! You saved my life, Gary!"

"Well, it w-was just a right place, r-right time kinda thing." Gary quoted one of his favorite clichés.

"Wow, Gary," Danny was still in awe, "You've saved five members of our family in only three days. You're pretty good at this."

"W-Well, why don't we g-go on back to the h-house." Gary suggested nervously. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Oh, I can't," Danny shook his head, "I've got some things I need to pick up at the store. But, I'll see you later. Thanks again." He nearly gave Gary a big hug, but instead, resided to a handshake.

After that, Danny walked across the street and disappeared into the crowds of people. Checking the Paper again, Gary was relieved to see that there was only one more article to take care of; a convenient store robbery. Though nobody was injured, Gary felt that he should at least _try_ to prevent it. But, that was two hours away. So, he took his time and walked slowly toward the store, peering into store windows as he went.

* * *

Arianna felt terrible. She didn't know why, but it seemed that Stephanie was angry with her. What had she done? She didn't _mean_ to do anything. After all, they were friends – weren't they?

Later that day, Arianna finally had the chance to talk to Stephanie again. They were walking together on their way home. Neither one of them had said a word to each other since lunch. That was really starting to bother Arianna. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore;

"Stephanie, are you mad at me?" Arianna asked, softly, looking the girl in the eye.

Stephanie didn't say anything for a moment, then stopped and faced Arianna. "Well, what do you think?"

"I, I think y-you are," Arianna said, looking down at her shoes for a moment, "A-And I don't k-know why. Why are you mad at me, Steph?"

Stephanie gave an exasperated sigh, "All school year I've been trying to get Eric Keinstar to notice me. He hasn't given me a second glance. Then you come along and on your very first day, he introduces himself to you and _then_ he says he hopes to see you tomorrow! How do you do it?"

"I, I don't know," Arianna shrugged, "I didn't do anything. I don't even _like_ boys, if it's any consolation."

"Oh, yeah? Well, it's not. Now, that Eric likes you, he won't even remember my name!" And with that, she stormed down the street.

Arianna's shoulders drooped. She hadn't _tried_ to do anything; nothing at all. Now, Stephanie hated her. Arianna felt terrible. Slowly, she started for the Tanner home.

* * *

Gary glanced down at the Paper. Yep, the robbery story was still there… unfortunately. He looked ahead of him at the store and began to walk towards it. Maybe, he could get the guy at the counter to– Suddenly, he stopped. No; it couldn't be – could it? Yes, it was. He shook his head as he watched D.J. Tanner and Kimmy Gibbler walk into the store. How accident prone _was_ this family, anyway?

He quickened his pace and began to run towards the building. In the distance, he could see two rough looking teenage boys heading towards the store; that just made him run faster.

Running into the store, out of breath, Gary quickly began to tell the manager that; "Listen, if you don't close this store down, two kids are gonna come in here and rob you of everything you've got in here!" Then he pointed out the window at the approaching would-be-robbers. "Those two!"

Whether it was just a precaution or whether he believed Gary or not, the man at the register began to lock the doors of the store. He had a panicked look on his face as he turned off the bright lights. That's when D.J. and Kimmy noticed Gary in the store.

"Mr. Hobson," D.J. exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I was, I was – listen; forget about that, would ya? Here, quick," He led the two girls behind a shelf full of potato chips, "I want you two girls to stay right here – no matter what happens. Don't come out until I tell you, you understand?"

The girls nodded and Gary ran back up to the counter at the front of the store. There were no other customers in the room – just the man at the register, who was hiding behind the counter. After making sure there was no one else in the store, Gary made his way back to D.J. and Kimmy. The girls were still crouched down where he had left them.

He had only crouched down himself, beside them, when he heard someone banging on the locked doors of the store. He could hear to voices speaking to one another, very loudly, outside;

"Open it up, Jason!" The first voice exclaimed.

"I can't, Pete!" The second voice said, with a twinge of tension in it, "I, I think they're closed."

"What? They can't be!" The first replied angrily, "Here; let me try."

"Ya see? It's locked. And look; there's nobody in there."

"Yeah, well, I _need_ that money! There's gotta be a way…" Pete mussed.

"There's not, Pete," Jason urged the other teen, "C'mon, let's go before we get caught."

That was the last thing Gary heard the boys say, for they left the store.

* * *

Arianna stared blankly at the math sheet for her homework. She should have been able to do the problems. They were easy. But, her mind wasn't on fractions. As she sat at the kitchen table, she thought about Stephanie.

"Do you need some help, Arianna?"

Arianna looked up. Joey was standing behind her; a concerned look on his face. Silently, she shook her head 'no'.

"Well, you've been sitting her for fifteen minutes and you haven't even made a mark on your math sheet," Joey pulled out a chair and sat down, "Is something bothering you?" He asked gently.

Arianna didn't say anything for a moment. Then she said; "It's Stephanie; she's mad at me."

"Any idea why?"

The girl nodded, "At lunch today, a boy came and sat at our table. Stephanie says he's the most popular guy in school. Anyway, now Stephanie's mad at me because, well, I guess he sort of likes me or something. But I didn't do anything! I don't even like boys, yet!" She wrinkled her nose as if to prove her point.

"Well, have you tried talking to her about it?" Joey asked.

Arianna shrugged, "I tried to talk to her on the way home from school, but she wouldn't listen."

"Well, why don't we go talk to her?" Joey stood up, "You can't get any homework done like this, anyway."

* * *

Upstairs, Joey knocked on Stephanie's door, and then poked his head in, "Steph, can we talk?"

She shrugged, "I guess so."

Joey led a reluctant Arianna into the room and they sat down on Michelle's bed. Stephanie looked as if she knew what was coming.

"Stephanie," Joey started, "Arianna told me what was going on between you two."

Neither girl said anything.

"Look, you aren't going to let a boy come between your friendship, are you?" Joey continued, "That's not right. You girls need to talk this out… and listen to each other."

"I guess you're right, Joey." Stephanie sighed.

"Good," Joey replied, "Now, Stephanie; we know your side of this, let's let Arianna do some talking. Arianna…"

"Oh, well, um…" Arianna began, "Listen, Steph, I, I didn't do anything for Eric to like me, or anything. And I'm sorry if he does – I'm sorry for you and him because I'm just not into boys right now. I don't care who they are and, and I hope you can understand that. I, I mean, I won't be here forever. I'll be gone in a few days. Eric will probably forget about me by then anyway." When she finished, she took a deep breath.

Stephanie grinned, "You're right, Arianna. I guess I never really stopped to think… or listen to what you had to say. I'm sorry I was so mean to you and, and I hope we can put this behind us and be friends again. What do you say? Friends?" She held out her hand.

Arianna grinned and shook the other girls hand firmly, "Friends."

* * *

"I still can't believe it, Mr. Hobson," D.J. exclaimed enthusiastically, as she, Kimmy, and Gary walked in the Tanners' front door, "You were incredible!"

"Yeah, Mr. H," Kimmy nodded and thumped Gary on the back, "How'd you know what those dudes were planning anyway? Are you a cop?"

Gary gave the teenage girls a small, smile, "No, I'm not a cop. Now, um," He glanced at the clock, "Don't you two have homework to do?"

Kimmy shook her head, "Nah; Mr. Harrell wasn't there today. We had a sub. And she didn't give us any. So, now we get to hang out with you, Mr. H. Isn't that great?"

"Y-Yeah," He replied, "Um, great. Uh, listen, girls; I have some things I need to do. I, I'm going up to my room right now, but I'll see you later, o-okay?"

Soon he was up in his room. He couldn't for the life of him, figure out what was with that girl; Kimmy Gibbler. She's awful strange, he thought.

When Danny walked in the door later, he was immediately bombarded with the latest news of Gary Hobson. He had saved a store from being robbed. And what's more; he _knew_ it was going to happen _before_ it happened. That's when Danny told them about how Gary had saved _him_. This made everybody even more amazed. As everybody chattered excitedly at the table about the rescues, Arianna glanced over at her father. He looked nervous and a bit worn out and she smiled at him.

Later that night, Danny was at the table, talking to Joey. Joey was amazed at Gary's actions.

"Gary Hobson is awful strange, isn't he?" Danny noted after a few minutes.

Joey didn't look so sure, "Stranger than Kimmy?" He asked.

Later that night, Danny knocked softly on D.J.'s bedroom door. He stuck his head in, "Deej, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, dad," She replied, laying down the book she was reading, "What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you about earlier…" He began, "About Gary."

"Wasn't he incredible, dad?" She asked, still in awe, "I mean; it was just like one of those old John Wayne movies! You know, where he rides in just in time, scares off the bad guys, and saves everybody? How does he do it?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," He said, sitting down ion the desk chair, "Tell me again, without Kimmy's interpretation of some hot, good-looking hero riding in, about what happened at the store." Danny's hook his head as he thought about Kimmy's tale.

"Well, Kimmy and I had just stopped at the _Gas 'n Go_ to grab a soda," The teenage girl began, "I got _Coca-Cola_ by the way. Kimmy got root beer and orange, so she could mix them together…"

Danny motioned for D.J. to get back on topic.

"Oh, right," She shook her head, "Anyway, we hear this voice yell, 'the store's gonna be robbed, lock the doors!', so we turn around and it's Mr. Hobson! It was him! And the guy at the counter was locking up."

"Yeah? Then what happened?"

"Well, then the next thing we know, Mr. Hobson leads us behind a shelf of _Doritos_ and tells us to stay put. And there _were_ guys trying to rob the store, dad, I heard them. But, they couldn't get in. They thought the store was closed. Mr. Hobson saved us, dad," D.J. assured him, "I don't know how, but he did!"

"Yeah, well –" Danny was interrupted, when Stephanie poked her head in the door.

"G'night, Deej; g'night, dad," Stephanie said, and then started to turn away.

"Hey, hey, Steph, come in here." Danny beckoned.

A guilty expression came over the girl's face as Danny pulled her closer, "Dad, it wasn't me," She said, "Michelle chopped your tie in half. I just told her to. I didn't think she would actually do it."

"Wait a minute," Danny interrupted, "You what?

Stephanie just gave a small smile, realizing she just gave everything away.

"Never mind the tie right now," Danny just shook his head, "I just wanted to ask you something."

Stephanie and D.J. looked at him expectantly.

"Don't you two think Gary Hobson is kind of strange?" He asked them.

The girls then questioned him as if to prove a point; "Stranger that Kimmy?"

* * *

**A/N** Well, that's for now! Don't go away – we'll be right back when "_Stranger than Kimmy_" returns after this (few days) break! 


	5. Unplanned and Unwanted Events

**snipsa:** Thanks! It's wonderful to know you like my story. I don't know, yet, how much longer it will be. Probably only 1 or 2 chapters left!

**A/N** _Okay, sorry this next chapter took _SO_ long! My computer wasn't working and I had some problems, but I promise; I will _NEVER_ leave a story unfinished. You have my word._

* * *

**5. Unplanned and Unwanted Events**

As Gary lay in bed that night, he couldn't sleep. There were too many things bothering him; the Paper for one thing. This family got into so much trouble! He had already saved half of them! They suspected something, he knew it. So how would he keep the Paper a secret?

Finally, after what seemed like hours of tossing and turning, Gary drifted off into sleep.

* * *

The next morning, everything was the same story. Only this time Gary was up and at the front door at 6:30 AM. No Paper. Aggg! Gary was ready to pull out his hair.

Where on earth was that cat? He hadn't seen hide or tail of him for quite some time. That's when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned around to see Stephanie and Arianna coming down, both taking the stairs two at a time.

"Good morning, daddy," Arianna greeted her father with a smile. The smile quickly faded though when she realized that Gary was not smiling.

"Uh, Steph," She turned to the other girl, "I think I hear your dad in the kitchen. Maybe you should go see if he needs any help."

Stephanie shrugged, "Okay." Leaving her backpack by the front door, she left for the kitchen.

"The Paper didn't come, did it, daddy?" Arianna asked softly, letting her backpack slide to the floor as she sat down beside Gary.

"No, it didn't, Arianna," He replied, "I just don't get it," He then looked her in the eye, "Arianna, honey, what do you know about this?"

"N-nothing, daddy," Arianna replied, looking at her father strangely, "I don't know where it's at."

"Arianna, you are the only other person here who knows about the Paper," Gary reminded her, growing more sure of his theory, "You're the only other person here who knows when it comes; 6:30 AM. You're the only other person here who would take it."

"But, daddy," Arianna cried, "I didn't take it! I, I didn't! You have to believe me!"

"Arianna, I thought you knew better than to take the Paper without permission," Gary said, shaking his head as he stood up, "And I _know_ you know better than to lie to me. Now, where is the Paper, Arianna?"

Arianna's eyes filled with tears. She hadn't taken it! She couldn't have – she wouldn't have! And what hurt the most weren't Gary's accusations, but the fact that he didn't believe her. She had told him the truth, yet he didn't believe her.

"Daddy, I didn't take it!" She wiped the tears off her face, "I, I didn't!" And with that she ran out the front door.

Gary felt terrible. His daughter was usually very honest; especially with him. And now, he didn't know why he hadn't believed her when she said she hadn't taken the Paper. She had never taken it before, why should she start now? Feeling awful, Gary walked into the kitchen.

* * *

Outside Arianna still crying slightly as she walked down the sidewalk. How could her father accuse her of stealing the Paper like he did? And he didn't believe her; that was even worse!

"Hey, little girl; you okay?"

Arianna turned around. There was a man leaning against the** STOP **sign. Arianna gasped as she recognized him as the cabbie from before. Cautiously, she took a step back.

"Hey, don't be worried about me," The man said with a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. He took a step towards the girl, "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

Turning quickly, Arianna made a break for the house. She hadn't got very far, before she felt a strong hand grab her by her upper left arm. She cried out in pain, as the man grabbed her.

"C'mon, kid," He snarled, "You're comin' with me!"

"No, no," She fought back kicking and thrashing as he easily lifted the girl off the ground, "I'm n-not coming with you! I'm not! Let… me … go!"

The man snickered; "Hah! And let ya run off home and tell your old man about me? I don't think so. Nah, it don't work that way, kid."

And with that he threw Arianna into the back of his taxi and drove off.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the house, Gary was still puzzling over where the Paper was at. He felt bad for accusing Arianna of taking the Paper. Inside, he knew she wouldn't have without good reason and if she _had_ taken it, she would have told him the truth.

"Mr. Hobson?"

Gary turned to see Stephanie standing behind him. Her backpack was slung over her shoulder and she looked confused.

"What can I do for you, Steph?" Gary asked kindly.

"I was about to leave for school, but I don't know where Arianna's at." The girl explained, "Do you know where she is?"

"She went outside about ten minutes ago, Stephanie," Gary replied, his mind still pre-occupied, "Why don't you check out there?"

"I did. I checked everywhere," She shrugged, "I can't find her. If we don't get going, we'll be late."

"Well, you why don't you go ahead and go. I'll see if I can find her, okay?" Gary instructed, "You go on."

Stephanie nodded and went out the door, leaving Gary to find his daughter. He was a little worried. Stephanie had said she looked _everywhere_. Even outside. If that was the case, then where _was_ Arianna?

* * *

"Let me g–" Arianna's shouts were cut off, when a gag was pushed into her mouth. She felt a few tears slip down her cheeks and she determinedly wiped them away. She _would not_ cry. She wouldn't let this guy know how much he was scaring her.

After all, why should she be scared? Her father was probably already on his way to find her, having the paper and all. But then truth dawned on her; Gary didn't _have _the Paper. That meant he _didn't_ know where she was. All over again the tears began to fall again. What would she do?

* * *

Gary was beginning to getting anxious about Arianna's whereabouts. He, too, had searched outside and the entire house. Neither Joey, nor, anyone he had asked had seen Arianna all morning.

Feeling nearly defeated, Gary walked back into the kitchen where Michelle and Danny sat at the table. That's when something caught Gary's eye; the newspaper that Danny was holding.

Gary cleared his throat, "Um, D-Danny, would you m-mind me asking where y-you got that paper?"

"Well, if you would believe it, for the past two mornings, I've found this paper right outside on the doorstep… along with a stray cat. I've been shooing the cat away," Danny added, "But the newspaper; that's the strange part. I don't usually get the _San Francisco Chronicle_, but here it is!"

Gary nearly choked. Danny had his Paper! "Um, Danny, w-would you mind if I, I borrowed that Paper… please… see; it's real important."

"Oh, sure, here," He handed the man the newspaper, "You can have it. I don't need it. I was just was looking for the coupons…"

Once the Paper was in his hands, Gary let out a sigh of relief. "Th-thanks a lot, Danny." And with those words, he was gone.

Danny shook his head in amazement; "Now what on earth could be so important about that newspaper. Why did he want _mine_?"

"I don't know," Michelle spoke up for the first time, "But I'm sure glad he didn't want my funnies pages." With a sigh of relief, she pulled the brightly colored pages out from underneath her where she had hidden them.

"Michelle," Danny asked after a moment, "Don't you think that Mr. Hobson is kind of strange?"

Michelle looked astonished, "Stranger than Kimmy Gibbler?"

* * *

As Gary walked out of the kitchen, he began to flip through the Paper. So _that's_ where the Paper had been these past two mornings. He was reminded of how he had found it in the garbage can the day before.

Suddenly, he stopped turning the pages. Something had caught his eye; a picture… of his daughter! He glanced at the headline it was under;

_**11-year-old Girl Missing**_

_Arianna Marissa Hobson, age 11, was reported missing after she failed to show up at school yesterday morning. She was last seen wearing jeans, a purple long-sleeved top, and blue & white tennis shoes. The girl has dark-blonde hair, green/brown eyes, stands 4'9", and weighs 86 lbs. If you have any information about this case, please contact the authorities immediately at…_

Gary's eyes drifted from the article. The only thing this article told him was that he wasn't going to find Arianna by tomorrow morning; at least not at the school or around the house. Slipping on his jacket, Gary walked out the door.

* * *

Arianna finally managed to spit out the gag in her mouth; "Please, mister! Let me go! I, I won't tell anybody! Please!"

"Sure ya won't," The cabbie sneered, "Hah! Like I believe that! Ya know what; I've changed my mind about what we're gonna do with you. Ya ever seen the Golden Gate, kid?"

* * *

Gary continued to run. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew was that he wasn't going to find Arianna sitting around the house. He couldn't help, but blame himself for the mess he was in. After all, if he hadn't accused Arianna, she wouldn't have run out of the house, therefore; she wouldn't have ended up in the Paper.

"I did all that?" Gary shook his head. He knew he had and he promised himself he would try and listen more carefully for now on… if he got the chance.

Suddenly, he realized that he hadn't checked the Paper for anymore catastrophes, errors, or tragedies that might occur. Frustrated, he stopped, tore the Paper from his back pocket and began to flip through the pages; nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief. But only a moment too soon, for that's when he noticed that the article about Arianna had changed.

_**Body of 11-year-old girl Found**_

Gary gasped. The article said that Arianna was going "fall" from the Golden Gate Bridge and her body be discovered at 10:42 PM that evening. Gary suddenly began to feel very weak. This couldn't be happening. Not to him. And _certainly_ not to his daughter! But, it was. The whole article disturbed him greatly, but there were two things in particular that bothered him most;  
(1. The article said that the authorities were _investigating _the matter. They didn't know for sure that she _fell_. She could have been pushed.  
(2. They didn't, yet, know the time of death. They had no idea what time Arianna "fell". They were also currently investigating that. They didn't, yet, have any witnesses. There just had to be _someone_ who had seen the incident, but no one had come forward yet. But, all in all, it meant Gary didn't know what time it happened. What if it already did?

With these thoughts in mind, Gary began running in the direction of the Bridge, all the while looking for an available taxi.

* * *

Arianna was terrified. As she sat in the backseat of the all-too-familiar taxi, she thought about how this had happened.

And she blamed _herself_. If she hadn't gotten so upset and stormed out of the house, this wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't be in this mess. She glanced at her watch wrapped around her right-wrist; 10:39 AM. If things had been different, she would probably be in Math class about now. She thumped her head against the seat. Oh, how would her father find her?

* * *

Gary gasped for breath as he quickly lowered himself into the seat of the taxi. His legs felt like fire from running so hard for so long. He glanced at his watch; 10:43 AM. Arianna had been gone for about 3 hours now. If he had to wait on that bridge all day, he would. The sooner he got there the better. If something hadn't already happened to her, he might make it there on time. He just might.

* * *

"Girl, you better say your prayers. 'Cause in 'bout 10-minutes, that'll have been the last prayer you _ever_ say."

Arianna gulped and pushed her sleeves up. She was getting really hot; not only because she was so frightened, but because the cabbie had the windows rolled up, for fear of Arianna calling out for help. And the air conditioner didn't work. She had learned that the first time she rode in the taxi.

* * *

Quickly, Gary thrust a wad of bills into the cab driver's hand as he hopped out of the vehicle. He started to run down the bridge.

"Hey, pal!" The cabbie exclaimed, "There's 10 extra dollars in here!"

"Keep it!" And Gary continued to run. As he ran, he looked for any sign of his daughter. But it was all in vain. How were you supposed to make out one girl amongst all that traffic? But, Gary refused to get discouraged. He had to have courage; he had to remain calm; for his sake as well as his daughter's.

* * *

Arianna sat huddled on the back seat of the car, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and her eyes shut tight. They were on the bridge now; she could felt it as they drove over. She recalled how she had begged her father to take her there. Oh, how badly she had wanted to see it. Now, she wished more than anything that she was back in her Chicago school, listening to Mr. Abbott lecture the class on spelling and grammar. She was then suddenly aware that the car had stopped. She opened first one eye, then the other. What she saw made her stomach turn; they were on the center of the huge bridge and the cabbie had pulled off to the side.

The cabbie then turned around in his front seat and smiled at her; an evil grin that Arianna would never forget.

* * *

Gary wasn't sure he had run so fast and so far in his life; at least not all at one time. The burning sensation in his legs was almost too much to bear now, but he forced himself to keep going. Sub-consciously, he wondered how long the bridge was. It felt like it was about 50 miles long! He was nearing the center of the bridge now. That's when he saw it; a pulled over car. And he pushed on with newly found energy.

* * *

The cabbie yanked Arianna out of the car. Had it not been for the gag that had been stuffed back in, Arianna would have called out for help. But she could not. The man pushed her towards the side of the bridge. She banged against the railing and was forced to look down. At once, her head began to swim. She hated heights. She always had. But this was worse. There was water below her; way below her. She got the ill feeling that the cabbie had every intention of throwing her down there.

Turning quickly, she tried to run away. Angrily, the cabbie grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her back. He put his face down close to hers and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "You ain't goin' no where," He hissed, "And get this; ya try and run away again or ya call for help, I'll bring your old man down here too. He just might be in the mood for a good swim."

Trembling uncontrollably, Arianna nodded.

* * *

**A/N** Well, that's for now! Sorry to leave you guys with a cliff-hanger, but, hey, what can I say? That's what the plot kitty wanted… (_Hey, it's an Early Edition story! There are no bunnies…_) 


	6. Moving On

**Poe1911: **Thanks so much! Yeah, I know what you mean about Gary's lashing out and I'm sorry if it wasn't all that great, but I figured "why not?" After all; we all get frustrated every now and then and when we do, sometimes we say stupid things. Anyway, thanks again!  
**  
snipsa: **I really appreciate your review! And about Gary's lashing out; I hope it wasn't too out of character. I try my best to keep the characters "in character", but, (unfortunately!) sometimes it just not that easy! Anyway, thanks so much and I'll try to keep Gary the Gary Hobson that we all know and love!

**A/N **Here's chapter 6!

* * *

**6. Moving On**

Gary panted for breath as he neared closer to the car pulled over on the side of the bridge. He could now make it out as a taxi cab and suspicions flooded his mind. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he thought he had a good idea of who had his daughter.

* * *

Arianna bit her lip. She was afraid… but she wouldn't let the cabbie know that. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of knowing how he was frightening her. She was then suddenly aware that the man was tying her hands behind her with some rope. It was with dread that she suddenly realized that unless a miracle occurred and her father had found the Paper, she probably wouldn't ever see him again.

"Alright," The cabbie said just loud enough for Arianna to hear above the roar of traffic, "You better say your prayers, kid! 'Cause it's time to take a swim!"

And with those words, he hoisted the girl up into the air. And just as he was about to throw her over the edge, he felt a piece of steel being pushed against his back.

"Drop her and you'll be floating down there in that water," A voice said, "I mean it."

The cabbie gulped. This wasn't what he had planned. It wasn't what he had planned at all. At first, he was just going to throw the kid in anyway, but then he thought better of it. Reluctantly, he sat the girl down.

At the same time, Arianna was overcome with relief. As soon as her kidnapper sat her down, she turned to see who her rescuer was. And, of course, it was none other than… her father! Overjoyed, she leaped into his arms. Gary held his only daughter tightly. He had been so worried and he had to admit, there was a time when he thought he was going to fail. All of a sudden, he realized something that made his heart stop; when he looked up, his daughter's kidnapper was gone along with his taxi.

* * *

By the time father and daughter got back to the Tanner's house, the kids were home from school. Stephanie wanted to know what had happened to Arianna and, "where have you been?"

Gary and Arianna finally convinced everyone that Arianna had just gone outside and had gotten lost. That seemed to satisfy everybody's curiosity. Gary had explained to Arianna on the way to the house that he didn't want to worry the Tanner's about the dangerous cabbie. They thought he was crazy enough as it was.

* * *

And that night at supper, Gary announced that they would be leaving the following morning. He had completed what business he had in San Francisco and it was time for him and Arianna to move on. Immediately, a frown came across Stephanie's face. Arianna, who had known this news was coming, caught on quickly.

"Don't worry, Steph," Arianna grinned, "We can still write each other, can't we? I mean, that's what the post office is for, right?"

Stephanie managed to put a smile on her face, "Right, Arianna, we'll keep in touch."

Gary sighed with relief. At least _that_ had gone over smoothly.

* * *

Later that evening, Arianna was in 'Gary's room', bidding her father good night. And just as she was heading for the door, Gary stopped her.

"Um, Arianna," He said, "Can I talk with you a minute?"

"Sure, daddy," Arianna said, a bit confused. She came and sat down on the bed beside her father, "What is it?"

"I want to talk to you about this morning," Gary started apprehensively; "I was way out of line. I shouldn't have accused you of stealing the Paper, Ari. It was wrong of me."

"It's okay, daddy," Arianna told him quietly.

"Well, no it's not okay," Gary disagreed, shaking his head, "I was wrong. And I know that you would never take the Paper, Arianna; especially without telling me; at least not without good reason. Do you think you could forgive me, honey?"

Arianna smiled and wrapped her arms around Gary's neck, "I already did. I love you, daddy." She whispered in his ear.

Moved by his daughter innocence and willingness to forgive, Gary wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. "I love you, too, Ari," He whispered back, "I love you, too."

* * *

As Arianna looked around the Tanner house for the last time the following day, she felt a pang of sadness. She could still so vividly remember how she had felt when she first encountered this family. She had been nervous, yet excited. What an adventure, she had thought. And she had been right. Some of which, she could have done without.

She noticed her father shaking hands with the adults of the household. And even though he hadn't said so, not even to her, Arianna knew that he too regretted having to leave this family. They were kind, fun, and caring. Arianna had grown to love them and it saddened her to have to leave her new friends. Solemnly, she turned to Stephanie, who was standing beside her.

"You've been a good friend, Stephanie," Arianna told the girl, looking her in the eyes, "And I'll never forget you."

"You've been great, too, Arianna," Stephanie replied, "And even if I never see you again, I'll always remember you. I could never forget you."

Arianna grinned, "Thanks. And I'll write you just as soon as I get home, okay? I promise."

Stephanie just smiled.

The fathers of these girls watched on with a hint of sadness in their own hearts. They both hated the fact that their daughters would most likely not see one another in a long time, if ever again.

At that moment, both girls wrapped their arms around one another and hugged.

"Let's not say 'good-bye', okay?" Stephanie stated, taking a deep breath, "I don't want to. Let's just treat it like you'll be back, you know, in a few hours."

"Alright, then," Arianna nodded. She smiled, waved, and said, "I'll see you later, Steph." And with those words, she quickly turned around; her back to her friend, she was now facing the door where her father stood with their bags at his feet.

"You ready, Ari?" Gary asked his daughter.

Taking a deep breath, Arianna nodded, "I'm ready." She walked over to her father and he put his arm around her. Picking up their bags, he thanked Danny once more, waved to the rest of the family, and then walked out the door.

"You know, Danny, I have to admit," Jesse stated, looking at the closed front door, "You were right; it was kind of nice having them around here."

"It sure was!" Kimmy spoke up. She had come to see the Hobsons off, "Arianna's a nice kid. She should visit again; but only if she brings her dad. Man, is he hot!"

Everyone just rolled there eyes at the girl's remark. They had learned long ago that it wasn't worth commenting on everything Kimmy Gibbler said.

"Yeah, Jesse, it was nice having them here," Danny nodded, "They're real nice people. But don't you guys think that Gary Hobson was kind of strange?"

Kimmy looked confused and insulted; "What? Stranger than me?"

* * *

Holding Arianna's hand in one hand and their bags in the other, Gary stepped out the Tanner's front door. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light. When the light had passed, Gary rubbed his eyes. Then nearly fell over from shock. He glanced won at his daughter. She looked equally shocked. Where were they? This was certainly not Gerad Street.

Gary and Arianna were stand in the middle of a dirt road. No one was around except for a few little animals that could be heard scampering about here and there.

Arianna swallowed hard, "Daddy, w-where are we?"

"I don't know, honey," He told her, "But I think it's more a matter of _when _are we? Look."

Arianna looked own at her clothes, where Gary had been staring at. She gasped. She was no longer wearing jeans and a blue shirt. Instead, she was wearing a short dress. It came down to her fingertips and it was faded gingham. Her shoes weren't tennis shoes anymore either. They were a pair of worn, black Mary Janes. She looked back up at her father in complete shock.

"Y-yeah," Gary chuckled nervously, "That's what I thought. Hey, wait a minute!" He suddenly realized that he, too, was sporting a different fashion. His jeans and green plaid shirt were gone. In there place were an older style of jeans, a flannel shirt, and suspenders.

Arianna started laughing. Not at her father's attire, but at his expression. Finally, she said, "What about the paper, daddy?"

"The Pa– Oh!" Quickly, Gary pulled the Paper from his back pocket. This time, he was not so surprised to see that it had changed. He turned the Paper around so that Arianna could read it. It read;

"_The Blue Ridge Chronicle"_

To Be Continued…

* * *

**A/N** Well, that's it guys; for this story anyway. If you want, I'll continue it with the next sequel. Anyway, Thanks to all you reviewers who encouraged me to continue! You guys are awesome!

_All disclaimers apply. You know the drill._


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